


Miscommunication Majors

by Anonymous



Series: Voltron University [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Cheating, M/M, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-07
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-08-13 12:46:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7977265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shiro shows interest in a new student at Voltron University. Is Shiro just a player or is he really looking for something more? </p><p>Part of my Voltron College au. Multi chapters and couples are going to switch up a little bit, so if you don't like one ship, don't worry, it could change!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said, above ships might not play out and/or might change! So stick with it!  
> Also, I'm doing these in shorter chapters so I can update more often. I'll have another piece up by the end of the week.

The leaves were just beginning to fall around campus. The quad, lined with large oaks, still had healthy grass and small plumes of wildflowers, but soon they’d be all covered up with brown and orange leaves, and soon after that, with snow. 

Shiro tugged his gray beanie down over his ears, protecting them from the cool fall air on his way to the gym. He passed a group of freshmen. It was obvious they didn’t know if they were on the right path. One student glanced at him, about to ask directions, but her eyes wandered. Instinctively, he reached his hand up to his right bicep. His hand fell upon the empty material of his track jacket’s sleeve. He could feel as the rest of her group followed her stare. 

It was rare that he left the dorms without his prosthetic, a robotic arm that had been built for him, but he’d been warned not to wear it to the gym. The exposure to the gym’s sticky environment would only cause problems with the wiring and fine-tuning of the machine. That’s why he was making the trip without it and that’s why the freshmen were staring.

He took a deep breath and let his hand fall back to the strap of his gym bag. ‘They’re just curious,’ he reminded himself. ‘They don’t mean to be rude.’ 

At the gym, Shiro was free to work out all of his tension, tension from that freshman encounter, from that week, from that year. Or at least he could chip away at it. He could step up to the punching bag in the ill-equipped college gym and – 

Shiro stopped short as he rounded the corner from the locker rooms to the weight room. The single punching bag, which he’d never seen anyone use in his few years at the school, was occupied. 

Laying into the heavy bag with strong jabs was a girl with waving platinum hair. She had a determined look on her face. She knew how to throw an effective punch. It was obvious that she was working out her own tensions. 

Shiro turned toward the cardio room, not wanting to interrupt the forceful female. He would wait and hop on the treadmill before returning to the weigh room and claiming his spot at the punching bag. 

Once Shiro had set a fast pace on his machine, he let his mind wander and soon he’d completely zoned out. Music played loudly through his ear buds and he barely registered it, if at all. He ran as hard as he could. His eyes drifted over the room, sometimes landing on the television that hung centered in the room. On it played the college news station. Sometimes his eyes drifted toward the large windows lining the gym. His guard was down completely, a feeling that he was finally beginning to relax into again. 

Just then, a finger tapped at his shoulder. His whole body tensed, halting his running. Had it not been for the emergency chord that was tethered to his tank top, Shiro would have surely fallen off the back end of the treadmill. A series of names and numbers shot through his mind, a memory that he could swallow down only when he saw who had interrupted him. 

The girl with platinum hair was standing beside him. She looked as surprised as Shiro felt and when he pulled an ear bud from his ear, she began to apologize. 

“I’m so sorry,” she began in an accent that Shiro recognized as something almost English, maybe straying towards Australian. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” 

Shiro’s stony expression melted into a kind smile as she spoke. ‘You’re on campus,’ he reminded, ‘you’re not in any kind of danger.’ 

“It’s okay,” Shiro answered. “I was just in my own world.” He waited for her to speak again, but she shared a waiting expression. For a moment, they stared in expectant silence. 

“Oh!” She said suddenly, her dark cheeks coloring with a bright blush. “I came to say the punching bag station is free. I saw you coming to use it earlier and thought you ought to know that it’s no longer in use.” She tucked a piece of loose hair behind her ear where it’d fallen from her high ponytail. 

“Oh, great,” Shiro said as he unclipped the heart rate monitor from his arm. “Not much of a punching bag station though, is it?” He joked, stepping down from the treadmill. 

“Excuse me?” The girl asked, her eyebrows creasing together in confusion. She fell in line beside Shiro, walking with him back toward the weight room. She walked tall and prideful in a graceful way that Shiro thought looked almost old fashioned. 

“The punching bag,” Shiro explained. “There’s only one. So, it’s a pretty sad station.” 

“Oh, I guess you have a point there,” she answered with a small laugh. 

“I’m Shiro.” 

The girl opened her mouth to give her own introduction. She pursed her lips, forming a closed syllable, then thought better of it. 

“Allura,” she offered. 

If Allura thought it awkward that Shiro offered his left hand for her to shake, she didn’t show it. In fact, she didn’t so much as hesitate when reaching her own left hand out to him. 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Allura.”

 

/ /

 

Shiro rapped his knuckles on a poorly decorated dorm room door. He’d stopped at his own dorm to shower and put on his prosthetic before arriving at the first of the two junior dorms, Galra Hall. Every door down the hallway had some kind of school spirit adornment taped to it in celebration of the football team’s winning streak. This one, however, had only one adornment, a red post it with the name ‘Keith’ written in an R.A.’s neat handwriting. 

Shiro knocked again, this time harder. Then, once again for good measure before stepping back to wait. 

The door swung open suddenly to reveal Keith. He reached for Shiro, immediately, pulling him into the room by the front of his shirt. Shiro leaned down, pushing his lips against Keith’s. 

“Hey, Baby,” Shiro said, his lips still brushing Keith’s. 

“How was the gym?” Keith asked, pulling away. He plopped back down into his desk chair and waited for Shiro’s answer. For the first time, Shiro could take in the sight of his boyfriend. 

Keith slouched down deep in his chair. He was in old joggers that had the school’s name, Voltron University, running down one leg in big block letters. He wore a gray V-neck and his hair was in a short ponytail that curled down toward his neck with its lack of length. This was his ‘I have an essay due tomorrow’ outfit. An empty coffee mug, stolen from the cafeteria, was beside his library rented laptop. He had dark circles under his eyes. 

“It was good.” 

At that, Keith swirled his chair around, facing his laptop, in what Shiro assumed was the position he’d interrupted upon arrival. He hunched over his keyboard and began typing quickly. 

“I met one of the exchange students,” Shiro continued. He sat down on Keith’s bed and waited for an acknowledgement that Keith was at least half-listening. 

“Oh yeah?” Keith prompted. 

“Yeah, she’s Australian, I think.”

“Did you tell Lance?” Keith asked. “He’s always looking for a girl who likes it ‘Down Under.’” To Shiro’s surprise, Keith lifted his hands from the keyboard to make air quotes before going back to typing. 

Shiro couldn’t help but laugh at Keith’s dry humor. 

“I’ll be sure to tell him tonight then,” Shiro said with a smile.

At that, Keith spun his chair back toward Shiro. 

“You’re not staying tonight?” Keith asked. He tried not to look disappointed, but his creased eyebrows betrayed him.

“Lance invited us over to study. He and I have that big bio test tomorrow. I can stay if you don’t want to go though.” 

Keith glanced back over his shoulder at his computer and the half finished paper that was up on the screen. Then he looked back to Shiro. 

“No, it’s okay. You go. I’ve got this paper due at 8am, so I’ll be busy anyway,” Keith said, his shoulders slumping in defeat. 

“You can work on your paper there,” Shiro said. 

“No. I won’t be able to concentrate with Lance and his stupid rambling all night.” 

“That’s what I thought you’d say,” Shiro said. He leaned down to pull his backpack from the floor, where he’d placed it by his feet. “That’s why I brought you some study supplies.” 

That peaked Keith’s curiosity and he leaned over to watch as Shiro unzipped his bag and began unpacking a few things onto the desk. 

“A turkey sandwich from the caf, because I know you’re going to write through dinner. Water, to stay hydrated so you don’t get a headache. And an energy drink, so you don’t crash until at least 8:15,” Shiro explained as he pulled each item from his bag. 

Keith didn’t know what to say. Even though this was a normal occurrence, Shiro going the extra mile to make Keith comfortable and cared for, it still felt unfamiliar and special. He leaned in, kissing Shiro hard. Shiro knew Keith was saying ‘thank you’, and ‘I love you,’ and that he just didn’t have the words for that. This kiss was different than the one they’d shared at the door. It wasn’t quick or chaste. It was a deep and passionate kiss.

Shiro could kiss Keith forever. Their lips were perfectly compatible. It didn’t matter the kind of kiss, short, or rushed, or deep, it was always perfect, like they’d practiced since the beginning of time. They kissed like no other couple could. 

Keith shifted, moving toward Shiro onto the stale, twin sized bed. And Shiro wanted to welcome Keith over, to pull him onto his lap and kiss him until the sun came up, but he couldn’t do that. He pulled away, leaning back on his elbows as Keith crawled into his lap. Keith tried to follow, chasing the kiss, but Shiro pressed a hand against Keith’s chest to stop him. 

“Your paper,” Shiro whispered. He opened his eyes to see Keith, whose eyes were still pressed closed, his long lashes brushing against his pink cheeks. 

“It can wait,” Keith mumbled, pushing another kiss onto Shiro’s mouth. 

Shiro indulged for only a moment more before slipping out from beneath Keith’s kiss. 

“It can’t.” 

Keith rolled over onto his back. His long hair falling out of it’s elastic and fanning across his too-thin pillow. 

“Fine,” Keith sighed. “But you’re not leaving this bed from Friday night until Monday morning.”

“What about for food?” Shiro laughed. 

“Who needs it?” 

Shiro leaned down once more, kissing Keith goodbye. 

“We’ll need the energy.”

 

/ / 

 

Shiro didn’t have to knock when he got to Lance’s dorm. The door was wide open and loud Latin music was leaking out into the hallway. Still, he balanced a box of pizza in one hand and gently rapped on the door with the other. 

“Well, well, well,” Lance said, turning to see Shiro in his doorway. “If it isn’t the pizza delivery guy.” Lance paused, watching the space behind Shiro for signs of someone else. “Where’s Keith?” 

Lance’s room, unlike Keith’s, was a shared room. It was a double that he’d split down the middle with his roommate. There was a twin bed on each side and two desks in the center, pushed together, to make an improvised table. Also different from Keith’s monotone and undecorated room, Lance’s room was plastered with school decoration and posters of all different topics, though most of Lance’s side was adorned with bikini clad women and robotic monsters. 

“Writing a paper in his dorm,” Shiro answered. He set the pizza box in the center of the two desks. “He’s not coming.” 

This made Lance perk up. A smirk crossed over his face in a look that Shiro automatically recognized. 

“I don’t have cash for a tip, pizza boy,” Lance began, his smirk turning into a feigned innocent pout. He slipped past Shiro to the door, leaning heavily on it to close it. “But I’m sure we could work something out.” Lance clicked the lock on the door to accentuate his intentions. 

“What about Hunk?” Shiro asked, his ears turning pink at Lance’s unabashed brazenness. 

“Out for the night.” 

Lance leaned in for a kiss, but Shiro pulled away.

“We’re supposed to be studying for the test,” Shiro protested. 

“We will,” Lance said in a swaying and lax voice. “This will just be a quickie, then we’ll get right back to studying.” 

Shiro dropped his head to the side, thinking about it, trying to decide whether or not Lance would really study later. He huffed out a sigh, looking at Lance’s anticipation filled expression. 

“Twenty minutes tops,” Shiro decided. “And we are studying through our pizza break.” 

“Sounds good to me,” Lance said, a shit eating grin on his face. He put a hand behind Shiro’s neck, leading him into a firm but sloppy kiss. Shiro pulled away lightly, their lips still touching. 

“If you fall asleep after, so help me, I’ll-”

But Shiro didn’t finish the threat. Lance was already pulling him back into a kiss, fun and sloppy and not in sync like Keith and Shiro were, but still good, still promising ‘more.’ 

 

/ / 

 

Shiro laid on his stomach. In one ear he listened to sleepy instrumentals through an ear bud, his other ear was tuned into Lance’s soft and steady snoring. His astronomy textbook was laid out in front on him on the bed and every now and again, he would take his highlighter out from between his lips and highlight a word or passage. 

When he was done reviewing the test chapters, he leaned over to put the textbook back on the floor. He had to lean over Lance to lower the book down, and even though he tried not to lean to heavily on him, the small bed made that hard, and Lance’s snoring stuttered to a stop. 

“You let me fall asleep,” Lance whined quietly, still half asleep. 

“I wrote notes for you,” Shiro whispered back and Lance nodded in approval. 

Shiro was exhausted, he probably studied for too long, and he was happy to finally lay his head on Lance’s plush pillows. His eyes slid heavily closed and Lance shifted beside him. Lance rolled over, resting his head on Shiro’s bare chest. 

“How was your day today?” Lance asked. 

Lance liked to do this, have half asleep conversations in the middle of the night. He always managed to remember them, but often, Shiro would drift off and forget what they’d mumbled and whispered about the night before. 

Tonight wasn’t any different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn, Shiro, don't play our boy, Keith, like that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro pursues a closer relationship with Allura. Lance catches him on a coffee date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My summaries are really bad so let the chapter speak for itself lol

“Would you like a partner?” Shiro asked. 

Allura was at the gym again, stationed in the weight room, wailing on the same poor punching bag as the day before. She smiled when she saw Shiro step up beside her, holding up a punching pad that he had strapped to his left arm. She paused her punches, stepping back and tightening her ponytail. 

“You think you can handle it?” She asked, a sly smile on her face. Even now, when she was joking, Shiro found her to be rather proper. 

They stepped toward the open center area in the gym. It was set up for sparring and wrestling team practice, but more often than not, it was empty. Then they began. 

Allura didn’t take it easy on Shiro. The second he had widened his stance, readying himself for her strikes, she had laid into him. Her gaze immediately darkened into a determined mask as she sent sharp jabs and kicks against Shiro’s singular punching pad. 

He was amazed by her strength. She was so lithe and thin that he had expected her hits to be softer, less strategized. She looked more like a dancer than a boxer, but her skill rivaled those who Shiro had fought in battle. He found himself bearing down, moving his center of gravity closer to the ground for more balance. He could tell she was holding nothing back, her hair coming loose of its elastic, sweat beginning to bead at her forehead, and for that Shiro was grateful. 

Shiro had sparred with others before and they’d all pitied him, held back, paused to ask if he was keeping up or if he needed a break. The only other person who treated him as an equal during a fight was Keith, and their gym schedules were conflicting. Allura trusted that if Shiro needed a break, he would speak up. 

Her hits came faster and harder, forcing Shiro to step back. He was having a hard time predicting where her punches would land. He could tell by the glazed over look in her blue eyes, that she wasn’t with him. She’d gone somewhere else. Her head was seeing something that Shiro couldn’t. That’s when she landed a hard punch to Shiro’s left shoulder. 

“Oh my gosh!” Allura gasped. She’d snapped out of whatever trance she had been in when Shiro stumbled back. “I’m so sorry!” 

She rushed to him, her hands out toward his shoulder. She pressed down heavily on his shoulders, wild worry in her eye. 

“Here, sit! Sit!” She demanded, lowering them both down to the mat. He laughed as they sat together. 

“It’s okay,” he assured her, a toothy smile on his lips. “I’m fine.” And he was fine. It had been a shock at first contact, and he wasn’t so sure her hit wouldn’t leave a bruise, but he was fine. 

“Are you sure?” She asked. She hadn’t cracked a smile yet, waiting to make sure that Shiro was truly okay. 

“I’m sure,” Shiro said. “I’ve had worse.” At that, he raised his right bicep, and they both looked to the absence of his arm. 

“I would say so,” Allura said, her worried expression changing to a sweet smile. “What do you say I treat you to dinner tonight to make up for the abuse I put you through?” She asked confidently. 

This, too, shocked Shiro. He wasn’t used to being asked out. He was much more comfortable doing the asking, initiating a relationship. 

“Oh,” he said, still in shock. His eyes were wide with it, and he didn’t know what to say. Allura’s confident smile turned into a questioning pout. “I actually can’t tonight,” he answered, remembering his promise to Keith. “I’m actually busy this whole weekend.” 

“Oh, alright,” Allura said. She wore a smile but it was obvious that she was disappointed. “I understand.” 

Shiro felt guilty. He wasn’t turning Allura down but he knew it sounded that way. 

“How about coffee?” Shiro asked. “I know this great place down the road.”

Allura’s face lit up with an honest smile. 

“That sound lovely.”

 

/ /

 

The two met in front of the gym, both still in their gym clothes and carrying gym bags. 

“So,” Shiro began, feeling a little awkward. “The coffee shop is this way.” 

“Lead the way,” Allura said. She didn’t seem to be effected by the awkwardness that Shiro felt. They walked side by side, starting the short walk to the coffee shop. 

“You’re an exchange student?” Shiro finally asked, unsure of what else to talk about. 

“Sort of,” Allura said. “I’m from a tiny island off Australia, but I’m an American now. I received my citizenship about a year ago.” She seemed happy about that, beaming up at Shiro. 

“Oh, that’s interesting,” Shiro said. “What island are you from? New Zealand?” 

“Oh heavens no,” Allura said. “It was much smaller than that.” She was still smiling but it was a sad smile and she stared off, far away again. Shiro wasn’t going to ask, not wanting to pry, but Allura continued. “It was called Altea, but it’s not called that anymore.” 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Shiro answered. It sounded like war to him so, diplomatically, he didn’t ask for more detail, knowing the soreness of such subjects. They were rounding the corner of the coffee shop, anyway, so he paused the conversation to hold the door open for her. 

“The dark roast is really good here,” Shiro said as she passed by him, into the cozy shop. “My boy-” Shiro began, but caught himself quickly. He’d almost let the word boyfriend slip from his lips. “My boy, Keith, drinks it all the time.” The phrase sounded weird coming out of his mouth. It sounded like something Lance would say, and that made Shiro cringe involuntarily. 

“Sounds good, as long as they serve it over ice. I’d like something chilled after our workout, don’t you agree?” She hadn’t noticed his slip of the tongue and Shiro breathed a sigh of relief. They ordered their drinks and sat at one of the tall tables near the front windows that faced one of the school’s lecture halls. 

“Do you live on campus?” Allura asked. She sipped on her coffee and waited for Shiro to answer. 

“Yeah, in the junior dorm, Galaxy. You?” 

“No, I actually live with my,” she paused, her cheeks coloring a little. She looked back to her coffee, emptying another sugar packet into it. “my uncle,” she answered. Shiro recognized the hesitation. She was either lying or stretching the truth, though Shiro couldn’t tell which. 

‘So, we both have secrets,’ Shiro thought. 

“How long have you been going to VU?” Shiro asked, pushing away his suspicion. 

“Not long,” Allura admitted. “I did a summer semester. This is my first fall semester. Well, my first fall semester at VU.” 

“How come I haven’t seen you around before?” Shiro asked. “I did summer classes too, the campus is usually pretty empty.” 

“I was just going to class and back home. I didn’t start visiting campus or going to events until recently. And I just started taking advantage of the free gym last week. It’s nice to get out again.” 

‘Witness protection?’ Shiro guessed and then pushed the thought away. He was probably being dramatic. Plus, it wasn’t any of his business anyway.

“Have you joined any clubs?” Shiro asked. He felt a little bit like he was a freshman again. ‘What’s your major?’ ‘Do you like the campus?’ ‘I found a cool spot in town, want to be friends?’ 

“I haven’t. Though, I did hear there was a great robotics team. But I haven’t been able to track down the meetings, it’s like they don’t actually exist.” 

Shiro sat up straighter, a little shocked. 

“The robotics team?” he asked. 

Allura blushed and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She looked down at her iced coffee and fiddled with the straw. 

“It’s a bit nerdy,” she said, “but my father and I used to build robots when I was a little girl. I’ve been in love with it ever since.” 

Shiro pulled his bag onto his lap and opened a side pocket. Out of it, he pulled a piece of paper. It was folded four times into a small, neat square. He unfolded it, pressing out the creases as best as he could before handing it to Allura. 

“I don’t think it’s nerdy at all,” Shiro said. 

She looked at him questioningly before taking the sheet and reading it. 

“Robotics Team. Sign-Up Sheet,” she read. Her eyes skimmed down the paper. A date, time, and place were listed for the first meeting. Below that, was a long list of blank spaces where new members were supposed to write in their names. 

“This is dated two weeks ago,” Allura noticed. 

“No one showed up,” Shiro laughed. “No one who wasn’t in the club last year at least. We’re kind of a ragtag group. Not many science majors at VU. And because there’s only a few of us, we just set up a group chat for the club.” 

“This is great!” Allura said, beaming at Shiro. She reached for her own bag, pulling out a pen and scribbling her name and number down in bubbly handwriting. “I’ll be at the next meeting!” 

“It’s Monday,” Shiro said, taking the sheet back and putting it in his pocket. “In the science wing. We usually meet in the common area there.” 

“It’s a date!” Allura said, and before Shiro could correct her, because it couldn’t, under any circumstances, be a date with Keith there, the bell above the coffee shop door rang. 

Shiro’s eyes went wide as they met Lance’s. Lance looked shocked, then, almost hurt. Shiro waved sheepishly, but Lance had diverted his eyes and continued to the coffee counter. 

Allura, sitting with her back to the door, turned to see who Shiro was waving at. 

“A friend of yours?” She asked. She’d noticed that Lance hadn’t waved back and quirked a suspicious eyebrow at Shiro. 

“Excuse me, Allura,” Shiro said, not waiting for her approval before getting off his stool and going to Lance. 

“Lance, what’s wrong?” he asked, just narrowly avoiding interrupting Lance giving the barista his order. He felt stupid for asking, trying to feign innocence when he knew that Lance could obviously see what was going on. 

Lance peaked back at the girl who was watching curiously from the table that Shiro had hastily left. 

“From how you were talking last night, I knew you were excited about this girl,” Lance began. “But you said we’d talk about it.” He paused, biting his bottom lip and looking back at Shiro’s table. “But I get it, she’s a total fox. I don’t know if I could’ve waited either.” He shrugged noncommittally, but Shiro’s stomach knotted, knowing Lance was more hurt than he was letting on.

“Lance, it’s not like that,” Shiro started, but Lance cut him off. 

“Oh, come on, Shiro. It’s not like that? That’s like the most over used ‘cheater’ line I’ve ever heard.” 

At that, Shiro felt his heart cramp up. He didn’t want Lance to think of him like that, like Shiro was just some cheater who didn’t care about him. He did care about Lance. He loved him. 

A barista called out Lance’s order. He went to grab it and leave, but Shiro stopped him, grabbing him by the arm, just hard enough to get his attention. He pulled the folded up sign-up sheet from his pocket and handed it to Lance. 

“Look. It’s NOT like that,” Shiro insisted. “Really.” 

Lance unfolded the paper and noticed the name scrawled in juicy purple ink. 

“She wants to join robotics?” Lance asked and Shiro nodded.

Lance looked over to Allura, his hurt expression already transformed into a devilish smirk. He waved at her flirtatiously, and she waved back, confused. 

“I love smart chicks,” Lance said to Shiro. 

“We’ll talk about it when I get back, okay?” Shiro promised. 

Lance nodded, dragging his eyes back to Shiro. 

“So, can I kiss you?” Lance asked, his devilish grin now focused on Shiro. 

“I haven’t told Allura yet,” Shiro said and Lance nodded, understanding. 

“Fine, fine. Don’t scare her off. Got it.” 

“Oh, Lance?” Shiro asked, catching at Lance’s arm once more. “Don’t tell Keith, okay?” 

Lance let out a bark of a laugh. “Yeah, no duh. I would never. I value my life.”

With that, Lance was on his way out. He winked at Allura, who was still watching the event. 

“What was that about?” She asked as Shiro returned. 

“That was just Lance. He’s in the robotics club,” Shiro answered. 

“He looked pretty upset when he came in,” she prodded. 

“Bad test grade,” Shiro lied. “He bounces back though.” 

“I could see that,” Allura said, accepting Shiro’s lie. 

 

/ / 

 

When Shiro returned to his dorm room after his afternoon classes, he wasn’t surprised to find it unlocked. He’d turned the doorknob, expecting it to twist under his grip. He’d given both Keith and Lance a key to his room and it was rare that his room was ever bare of one or the other. His stomach knotted though, when he heard arguing on the other side of the door. Both Keith and Lance’s voices rang through the door. They were in the insult portion of their argument. No context, just petty comments, so Shiro couldn’t decipher what they were actually fighting about. He hoped it was nothing, just their usual nagging and arguing, but his stomach twisted just the same. He couldn't help wondering if somehow, Keith had found out.

Shiro smiled sheepishly as the R.A. walked by, giving him a withered look. By the time the R.A. had passed, the loud bickering had stopped. For a fleeting moment, Shiro wondered if Keith had knocked Lance out, but he thought Lance would put up more of a fight. His stomach knotted at the thought of talking to them about anything serious when they were both annoyed. 

He sighed heavily and opened the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh, Lance and Keith are fighting. See what they're fighting about in the next chapter. . . . . .
> 
>  
> 
> I'll try not to update this three days in a row, but I just might. Oops.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new relationship is revealed and some misunderstandings are cleared up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the most blatant implied sexual encounter that I'll ever write lol

Shiro may not have been surprised by the door being unlocked, or even about Keith and Lance's bickering, but he was surprised at the scene that was painted before him as he entered his room. 

Lance and Keith stood, pressed together, their lips meeting feverishly. Keith had a hand shoved down Lance’s pants, and Lance was yanking at Keith’s jacket. Neither had noticed Shiro enter the room. He quietly closed the door and set his bag down, not wanting to disturb them. He leaned back against the door, watching as Keith reluctantly removed his head from Lance’s to shuck off his jacket. 

They pulled apart, both reaching for the bottom hems of their shirts, ready to pull them off. They both had pink cheeks and their lips were already swollen from kissing. Keith opened his eyes, making immediate eye contact with Shiro. 

“Shiro!” Keith said, surprise coloring his expression. He hopped back from Lance, whose cheeks had turned violently red with embarrassment. They were caught. 

Shiro smiled at them dreamily. 

“Why are you embarrassed?” Shiro asked, holding in a laugh. “That was beautiful.” Shiro continued into the room, kissing each boy as he passed them. 

“Well, why were you standing by the door and peeping in on us?” Lance said, his voice cracking a little near the end of his question. 

“Yeah!” Keith tacked on. “You could have let us know you were here, instead of standing there being silent and weird, like a, like a,” Keith trailed off, not sure what to say. 

“Like a silent, weird, stander!” Lance finished. 

“Yes! Thank you, Lance,” Keith said. 

Shiro just laughed and shrugged. 

“I like to see you two together,” Shiro explained. “You’re so different when I’m not around to force you to get along.” 

“Bullshit,” Lance said. “You were just getting off on being a perv.”

Shiro turned back to Lance, pushing him up against the closest wall. He kissed him hard, then pulled away, drinking in the shocked look in Lance’s eyes. 

“You say that like you don’t like to be watched,” Shiro said, his voice rough and gravelly, sending shivers down Lance’s spine. He nipped at Lance’s lips and Keith slid up behind them. Shiro made room for him, each boy pressed up on either side of Lance’s body. Shiro kissed and bit at Lance’s jaw as Keith went in for a rough kiss. 

“You love the idea of getting caught,” Keith said against Lance’s flushed skin. “It’s no coincidence that you ‘forgot’ to lock the door.” 

 

/ / 

 

“I have to go. Pidge needs me to actually do our chem labs,” Lance groaned. He was pulling his jeans up, wiggling his hips to get them to sit right. He still had a post-sex blush on his face. 

“Pidge can wait,” Keith said. He was still in bed, resting in the crook of Shiro’s arm. He reached out to Lance, hooking a finger into a belt loop in his jeans. 

Lance groaned again. He wanted to stay. He REALLY wanted to stay, but he also knew that Pidge wouldn’t stand for being stood up. The only thing that could convince him to stay-

“Actually,” Shiro said, shift up onto an elbow. “Do you think Pidge could wait? I wanted to talk to you both about something.” 

And that was it, that’s all it took for Lance to stay, something important about their relationship, something he’d been waiting for. Keith looked up at Shiro, curiosity in his eyes. 

Shiro wasn’t sure how to breach the subject. When he and Keith brought Lance into their relationship, it’s been a mutual idea. It had happened organically, spawning from too many drinks and an impromptu threesome. And while they warned Lance that he could join on a trial basis, and that at any point they could cut him loose, they never felt the need to have a deeper conversation about it. Lance just fit into their dynamic. 

Now, the idea of bringing someone else into the relationship, even with a trial period, sounded a little crazy. 

Shiro and Keith sat up next to each other and Lance pulled the desk chair in close to the bed. 

“So, I got asked out on a date today,” Shiro began, and he watched as both Lance and Keith’s eyes widened. 

“A date?” Lance scoffed. “It was just coffee.” 

Shiro opened his mouth to speak, but Keith beat him to it. 

“Wait, you went to coffee with someone? And you told Lance before you told me?” Keith asked. His thick eyebrows were turning down in frustration. Again, Shiro opened his mouth to speak, but this time it was Lance who spoke over him. 

“He didn’t tell me. I saw them out together.” 

“You went on a date without telling us?” Keith asked, anger swelling in his narrowing eyes. 

Lance opened his mouth to answer, but Shiro put his palm firmly over Lance’s lips. This wasn’t going well. It was quickly derailing and Shiro needed to get it back on track. 

“Like I was saying,” he said, shooting a glare at Lance. “I got asked on a date today and I told her I couldn’t go out with her. But, because I was interested in pursuing her, as long as you two agreed, I went and got coffee with her. We talked, and I found out she was interested in robotics, so I invited her to the next meeting. I figured that you could both meet her there, talk to her, see how you feel about her, and if you like her and like the idea of getting to know her, we could go from there. If not, then I tell her right then and there that we should just be friends and that I’m taken.”

Shiro thought his explanation was well done, concise and well thought out, and from the silence that followed, he knew Keith and Lance thought so too. They both stayed silent, thinking over the points that Shiro had presented them with. 

Finally, Keith let out a long sigh and slumped back down onto the bed. He crossed his arms and stared up at the pale ceiling as he spoke. 

“Fine,” Keith huffed. “We’ll meet her.” 

“Hey! How do you know I want to meet her?” Lance asked, faking being offended. 

“Because, if you didn’t, we’d have to admit you to the hospital. Obviously something would be wrong if ‘playboy’ Lance didn’t want to meet a girl,” Keith joked.

“You’re sure about this?” Shiro asked. “You can both change your minds whenever, no explanation needed.” 

“We know, and we’re sure,” Keith said, once again talking for the both of them. Lance just nodded along. Keith pulled Shiro in by the back of the neck, kissing him quickly. “But I hope you both realize that this is going to fuck up our sex life.”

Shiro and Lance both pulled away, looking confused. 

“Wait. What? Why?” They both asked in perfect symmetry. 

Keith looked back at them like they were idiots. 

“I’m gay,” Keith reminded them. “I’m not exactly sure how that’s going to play out in our ‘group dynamic.’” 

This was something that neither Shiro nor Lance had thought about. Of course, they knew Keith was gay, but they’d never been in a situation where that was something to consider. 

“Oh yeah,” Lance said, sounding slightly disappointed. 

“We don’t have to pursue this,” Shiro said immediately, feeling guilty for the oversight on his part. 

“No, I want you to,” Keith insisted. “If it’s too much, I’ll let you know. I promise.” 

“She’s super hot,” Lance offered, leaning closer to Keith. “You might change your mind.” 

“I won’t,” Keith said dryly, sending a scathing look towards Lance. Shiro leaned in then, kissing Lance. 

“And he doesn’t have to. It’s his sexuality. We’ll love him no matter what,” Shiro preached. He noticed the blush that’d spread over Keith’s face and the small eye rolling motion that Keith had offered in response to Shiro’s cheesiness. 

“Isn’t that right, Lance?” Shiro added teasingly. “We love our Keith.”

Lance nodded. “We love OUR Keith,” he added before the pair began peppering Keith with small kisses. 

“Stop! Stop!” Keith groaned as they pinned him down. His expression was a mix of exasperation and love. 

“Not until you say you love us too!” Lance said in between kisses. 

“Yeah, we want to hear that you love us,” Shiro said between whispering ‘we love you’s into Keith’s ear. 

“Fine! Fine. I love you both too,” Keith admitted. 

Lance and Shiro both pulled away to let Keith catch his breath and they all erupted into rippling laughter. And just as soon as the giggling had started, it stopped. Keith didn’t know how it started, but Shiro and Lance were kissing above him. Their tongues slid together and their cheeks were pink. Lance had one hand on Shiro’s chest, another on Keith’s. Keith lay below them, watching them as they kissed. 

But, there was an abruptness to this too. This time, the loud banging of the door swinging open stopped them. It slammed against the wall, and standing in the doorway, with eyes shielded, was Pidge. 

“Cover up what I don’t want to see,” they demanded. “I’m coming in!” 

They stepped in, eyes still covered. 

Shiro and Lance had sprung apart and Keith had bolted straight up, pulling a pillow into his lap. 

“We’re all decent, Pidge,” Shiro said, attempting a laugh, though it came out a little breathlessly. Had Pidge waited another ten minutes to barge in, he wasn’t sure what kind of mess she would have found them in. 

“That’s surprising,” Pidge answered, lowering their arm from in front of their eyes. “Seeing as I could hear you sucking face from out in the hall.” 

Lance and Shiro smiled at her sheepishly, blushes on their faces, but Keith stayed straight faced. 

“So why’d you interrupt?” He asked. 

The question was meant to be rhetorical, but Pidge ignored that. “Because,” Pidge began, “Lance has about one thousand chem labs to complete or else I get marked down because I STUPIDLY agreed to be his lab partner.” 

By the time Pidge had finished speaking, they’d already found Lance’s t-shirt on the floor, where it’d been haphazardly discarded only an hour or so before. Pidge tossed it at his naked torso then grabbed his jacket from Shiro’s desk. After they’d thrown the jacket Lance’s way, they stood in the doorway and waited. 

“B-but,” Lance whined, but Pidge interrupted. 

“NOW!” They demanded, not bothering with any of Lance’s excuses. 

“Bye, Lance!” Shiro and Keith both said in mockingly cheery voices. 

“Aw man,” Lance mumbled. “All of the foreplay and none of the fun.” 

 

/ / 

 

By the time Shiro arrived with Allura to the common area, where the robotics team met, Keith and Lance were already there. 

Keith was slouched in a plush chair, tapping on his phone. Lance was sitting beside him on a loveseat, gently kicking Keith’s sneaker on repeat and whining. 

“I’m bored. Why won’t you talk to me?” He begged, but Keith acted as if he couldn’t hear him. 

Shiro could see from Keith’s tense jaw that he was annoyed, but the rest of his face was a perfect mask of aloofness. 

“Hey, guys,” Shiro said, jingling a classroom key at the pair. “We’re in professor McCaffrey’s room today.” 

They had some trouble finding a steady room to hold meetings in. Professors weren’t very warm to their group. Even though they were well acclaimed, they also had their reputation of ‘accidental detonations.’ 

Shiro unlocked the door across from the lounge and held it open. Allura entered first, politely thanking Shiro. Lance passed through, wiggling his eyebrows at Shiro. Keith was last, pecking Shiro quickly on the lips, sure that Allura’s back was to them. Shiro blushed and smiled at Keith’s sneaky smirk. 

“Lance, Keith,” Shiro said. “This is Allura.” 

Shiro put a hand on Keith’s shoulder before continuing. 

“Allura, this is Keith, and that,” he pointed to Lance, who was leaned up against a desk, thinking that he looked cool, “is Lance.” 

“Nice to meet you,” Allura said, bowing her head slightly. 

“I’m just going to go meet Pidge and Hunk, make sure they know where to find us,” Shiro said. 

“I’ll come with you,” Keith said, immediately turning toward the door. Shiro wanted to protest. He wanted Keith and Lance to spend a second alone with Allura, but Keith was already in the hall. 

They were silent as they walked down the hall, but just after they’d turned down a connecting hallway, Keith pushed Shiro harshly against the un-used lockers that lined the wall in school colors. He pushed his lips roughly against Shiro’s and carded his fingers through his white bangs. 

Keith pulled his lips away a moment later, but stayed close to Shiro, his face just an inch away. His hand was still holding tight to Shiro’s hair, pulling lightly at the roots. 

“Keith, are you okay?” Shiro asked. Even though the kiss had driven Shiro mad, he was serious now, waiting for a serious answer. 

Keith leaned in for another kiss. This time, Shiro could feel Keith smile against his lips. 

“Are you jealous, Kogane?” Shiro asked, an amused smile of his own pressing against Keith’s mouth. 

“She’s beautiful,” Keith said. He pulled back again, this time letting go of Shiro’s hair. 

Shiro reached up, pushing Keith’s hair out of his face. 

“Not nearly as beautiful as you.” 

Keith rolled his eyes. “Shut the fuck up,” he said, laughing. He pulled Shiro in for one last, quick kiss. 

“NO PDA!” A familiar voice called from down the hall and the two broke apart. They looked to see Pidge and Hunk walking down the hall toward them. Hunk’s booming voice seemed the echo for miles down the hall and Keith and Shiro both rushed to shush him. Pidge and Hunk shared a confused look. 

“What’s going on?” Pidge asked, her voice just above a whisper. 

“Oh,” Keith said, “this is why you were meeting them out here.”

 

/ /

 

“So, how’d you and Shiro meet?” Lance asked. He already had his sleazy smirk stretched over his face. He was pulling a chair up close to the one that Allura had chosen. 

“At the gym,” Allura answered. She leaned away from Lance’s close proximity. If he noticed, he didn’t acknowledge it. 

“Oh, yeah. He goes there a lot,” Lance said, his mind wandering to Shiro’s body for just a second to long. His mind go caught on how it felt to be held against him. 

“So it seems,” Allura said, her voice a little wary. Lance blinked a few times, trying to get the image of Shiro out of his head. 

“You look like you go to the gym a lot too,” Lance said, running his gaze up and down her body. 

“Five times a week,” Allura answered, ignoring his heavy gaze and flirty tone. She glanced toward the door, hoping that the others would arrive soon. 

Lance leaned forward, closing the gap that Allura had put between them. 

“Your eyes are really blue,” Lance said, his eyes locked onto hers. “Like the ocean, and baby, I’m lost at sea.” 

Allura didn’t know how to react to this. She wasn’t entirely sure if he was joking or not. For a few seconds, she just looked at him blankly, waiting for some indication that he knew he was being ridiculous. But Lance didn’t change his serious expression and Allura’s eyebrows furrowed. She put a hand on Lance’s shoulder and pushed him lightly, guiding him out of her personal space. 

“You do know that I’m here with Shiro,” Allura asked. Lance looked at her blankly. “With him. Non-platonically,” Allura continued to explain and Lance laughed. 

“We’re ALL here with Shiro.” 

Allura looked confused, but she had no time for clarification. The rest of the group had finally arrived, walking into the classroom together. Allura sighed in relief. 

“Lance,” Shiro said sternly when he noticed how close Lance had positioned himself to Allura. 

“What?” Lance asked innocently. “I’m just getting to know our new ‘friend.’”

“Idiot,” Keith mumbled. 

“Hi!” Hunk said, crossing the room to shake Allura’s hand. “I’m Hunk,” he said, taking Allura’s strong handshake. “This is Pidge,” Hunk added, nudging Pidge’s arm. 

“Hey!” Pidge greeted, as cheery as always. “Nice outfit.” 

“Oh, thank you,” Allura said, running a hand over the chiffon top she wore, clearing it of wrinkles. “I’m Allura, it’s nice to meet you all.” 

The rest of the club meeting went on without a hitch. They talked robotics and engineering and no one ever slipped up when it came to Lance, Shiro’s, and Keith’s relationship.

 

/ / 

 

“So, what do you think?” Shiro asked. He was nervous, waiting for Keith and Lance’s opinions. 

Keith and Lance were lounging on the rug in Shiro’s room. Keith had Lance sitting between his legs, leaning back against his chest. Lance was scarfing down a bowl of easy mac. 

Shiro sat down across from them, draping their legs across his own. Lance spoke first, his mouth full of noodles. 

“She’s so hot. I think she likes me.” 

Keith rolled his eyes. “Oh, yes, because you’ve got such a way with the ladies.” 

“Keith?” Shiro asked, ignoring his sarcastic comment. He was too interested in what Keith thought about Allura to worry about the banter between him and Lance. Keith shrugged. 

“She seems really nice?” He answered and both Shiro and Lance cringed a little. “What?” Keith asked, noticing their reactions. 

“I don’t know,” Shiro said, a laugh waiting on his lips. “I don’t really know what I was expecting you to say.” 

“I do!” Lance cut in. “Something less vague.” 

“I don’t know,” Keith said. “She just seemed like another girl. Pretty, smart, and a little bossy.” 

“Okay,” Shiro said. “It’s decided then.” 

“What?” Both Lance and Keith asked in semi-askew unison. 

“I’m going to end it. Keith’s not interested, so none of us are,” Shiro said. There was finality, but no blame in his voice.

“Wait,” Keith said. “You haven’t even gone out with her. She doesn’t even know that you’re dating us. Plus, I’ve only met her once. Just because I’m not overly impressed with her, doesn’t mean I’m saying no,” Keith explained. “Tell her about us and then we’ll see what happens. Right?” 

“Well, we know she wants to,” Lance said. “She’s super into me and Shiro.” 

The confidence that Lance exuded made Keith shake his head in exasperation. 

“No,” Keith said. “She’s into Shiro and she’s tolerating your existence in his life. Jumping into bed with you might bring up some different emotions.” 

“Yeah, strong, sexy feelings,” Lance fought back. 

“Guys,” Shiro interrupted, putting his hands on their legs. Their attention snapped up to Shiro. “Are we sure this is what we all want? A trial run for Allura, if she accepts, that is?”

Keith and Lance nodded in approval. 

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I played you guys (I'm sure everyone saw this coming lol). I could NEVER make Shiro cheat on Keith. They're too pure. Too good. 
> 
>  
> 
> Next chapter is Shiro's first official date with Allura. . . .


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jealousy makes for an angsty chapter. Poor Lance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter this time because I wanted to leave it on an angsty note

“You look great,” Keith said, running a comb through Shiro’s damp hair so it wouldn’t dry in a spiky mess. 

“Yeah, like seal-the-deal great,” Lance added. 

Shiro and Keith both sent withering looks to where Lance was laying, belly down, on Shiro’s rug. He had a circle of textbooks around him, loose papers staggered in front of him in unorganized piles. He scribbled on some unfinished labs, unaware of their attention. 

“I’m not going to sleep with her,” Shiro said then turned back to Keith. “My outfit’s okay?” 

Keith stepped back, giving him a once over. Shiro wore dark jeans that fit him well, a white button down shirt, and black Nikes. His look was simple, but not underdone or sloppy. He looked handsome. 

“You look great,” Keith answered. Then he flopped back on the bed, putting his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. “Were you this nervous when we first went out?” He teased and Shiro laughed.

“Our first date was in my room at the Garrison. We were both required to be in uniform,” Shiro reminded. “But the first time we left the base together? I must’ve changed my outfit a hundred times.” 

“Oooh, do me next. Did you know what you were going to wear for me?” Lance asked, abandoning his pen on one of the open textbooks. 

“Lance, we were all naked for our first date,” Shiro said. 

“So, yeah, we knew exactly what to wear to impress you,” Keith said, pointedly. 

“Hey! Are you calling me a slut?” Lance asked, faking an offended tone. 

“Well, you’re not exactly the virgin Mary,” Shiro said apologetically. 

“Shiro!” Lance squawked, not expecting that kind of answer from Shiro. Then he paused, smirking, and picked his pen back up. “You’re into it,” he said, turning back to his work. His smirk stayed stretched across his face. 

“You’re going to have a great time,” Keith said, handing Shiro his wallet. “Now go, or you’ll be late.” 

 

/ /

 

Keith watched out the dorm window as Shiro pulled away in Lance’s beat up old Jalopy. His stomach felt tight and he tapped his fingers on the windowsill in quick progression. 

“You okay?” Lance asked, noticing Keith’s fidgeting. 

Keith wasn’t going to say anything. He was going to see how the night went before he made any decisions or really evaluated what he was feeling. That was the plan, at least. Unfortunately, Keith wasn’t very good at sticking to the plan. 

“Keith?” Lance asked, worry seeping into his tone. He put down his pen again and watched Keith, who hadn’t seemed to hear him. He was about to ask again when Keith spoke.

“What if he falls for her?” Keith blurted out. Keith couldn’t look at Lance. His face was hot with embarrassment and the thought of letting Lance see that made his stomach twist up even tighter. 

“What?” Lance asked, sitting up and crossing his legs. “That’s kind of what we’re aiming for, isn’t it? For her to join and for all of us to fall for each other? You know, all that hippie shit?” Lance said, his voice teetering between worry and humor. 

“No.” Keith said, turning an angry glare at Lance. “What if he falls for her and she wants him and they break off and get married and have kids and a big house and a picket fence and all of that bullshit? What if he wants her and she doesn’t want us? What if we don’t fit into their life? What if he trades us in?” Keith said. His tone was sharp and angry but Lance could hear the hurt below it, the fear. 

“That’s a little hetero-normative, isn’t it?” Lance asked, trying to diffuse the tension. “Just because he’s going out with a girl, he’s going to marry and impregnate her?” 

“That’s typically what women are looking for in a man. So, I’d say, it’s not a complete wild card,” Keith snapped. 

“Okay, that’s sexist, first of all,” Lance said. “But more importantly, Shiro’s not going to leave us. He loves us.”

“Yeah, but what if he does? What if he goes out with her and likes it. What if he likes being with her, only her?”

“He won’t,” Lance said, seriously. Then, he switched back to joking, again trying to lighten the mood that had settled deep into the room. “And if he has a stroke on the date and decides he’s going to leave us, then at least you still have me, right?” 

“I don’t want you!” Keith snapped, his voice raising. 

The room seemed to freeze over, neither boy moving, or breathing. They just looked at each other, processing, waiting. Lance’s blood had slowed to an icy pace. His pen clattered to the floor, loud on the linoleum. It woke them both from their daze. Lance dropped his head, staring at the pen on the floor. 

“Fuck,” Keith swore. 

“Well,” Lance said, unable to look up at Keith. “I guess we should really re-evaluate this relationship then.” Lance’s voice was cool, level, controlled and, unable to see his face, Keith couldn’t read the boy. 

“Lance,” Keith began, frustrated with himself. “That’s not what-”

“I always assumed that Shiro was the one who pushed for me to stay,” Lance interrupted. “But I didn’t realized that you just flat out didn’t want me.” 

“Lance,” Keith said firmly, but Lance wouldn’t let him continue. He was gathering up his books, shoving papers in between the pages of his textbooks clumsily. 

“I’m just going to go,” he said, holding his stack of books closely to his chest. His voice was wobbly and he wiped his face with his wrist. Keith grinded his teeth tightly together, realizing that Lance was crying. 

“Wait, Lance!” Keith said, scrambling away from the windowsill, his feet catching on a sheet that was on the floor. 

Lance didn’t wait, didn’t even look back. With his head down, he continued into the hall, trying to escape the situation as quickly as possible. He didn’t want to get dumped, but he especially didn’t want his dump-ee to see him crying. He couldn’t stand the thought of Keith seeing him cry. 

Keith followed, stopping only to lock Shiro’s door. He called again, key in the lock, for Lance to wait, but Lance slipped through the stairwell’s door. Then, Lance peaked his head back into the hallway. His face still angled down. 

“I’ll tell Shiro tomorrow. I don’t want you to have to worry about that when you obviously should be worrying more about his WIFE,” Lance said, trying to sound harsh and pointed even though his voice was thick from trying to hold back tears. 

“I Didn’t Mean It!” Keith said back, but again Lance had closed the door to the stairwell. Keith ran to the stairs, throwing open the door and listening as it echoed in the stairwell. Lance was already gone, two floors down and through his own floor’s door. 

 

/ /

 

Shiro and Allura sat at the bar in the restaurant, waiting for a table to open up. They were already having a good time. They were laughing with each other and conversation flowed easily. 

“You’re brave,” Shiro said as Allura lifted her wine glass to her red lips. She had a small smile on her lips. The dark drink in her cup was almost the same color as her maroon lipstick. 

“How so?” She asked. 

“Drinking red wine in a white dress,” Shiro said, nodding to her dress. It was short but elegant, completely without pattern, and a brilliantly bright white. Her long legs were crossed, but her body was turned toward Shiro. In the back of his mind, he remembered something Lance had read to him once, a magazine blurb from Maxim or Playboy, or something of the like. ‘Body language: If she’s turned in toward you, that means she’s open to you.’

“It’s not brave,” Allura said, a smile on her lips. “It’s confident.” 

Shiro nodded, a quick laugh escaping him. This was the perfect time, he thought, to tell her. She was open to him, she was smiling, she was ready to hear what he had to tell her. 

“I have something to tell you,” Shiro said and Allura straightened up, one eyebrow arching higher than the other. 

“Oh?” She asked. “Sounds serious.” 

“It’s nothing bad,” Shiro said, realizing that he probably should have rehearsed what he planned to say. He wasn’t really sure where to begin. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m dating other people.” 

Allura’s eyes were blank for a moment before she smiled. 

“Shiro, this is our first date, I didn’t think that we were exclusive,” she laughed. 

“That’s not exactly what I mean,” Shiro said and again Allura’s eyebrow quirked up. “The people I’m dating, I am dating them exclusively.” 

Allura looked confused and it made Shiro nervous, he plowed on, trying for an explanation that might make more sense. More detail, he decided, would help. 

“You actually know them, Keith, and Lance. Sorry, I kept it kind of a secret when we went to the club meeting, but because they were there, I just wanted to not overwhelm you.”

“You’re dating Keith,” Allura said slowly, trying to riddle out what Shiro was saying. “And you’re dating Lance. And you want to date me? But it’s a secret?” 

“Not really, I mean, if you want to keep it a secret we can. Whatever makes you more comfortable,” Shiro responded. 

“And if I wanted to date someone else, or if Lance or Keith wanted to date someone else, that wouldn’t be okay?” Allura asked. 

“Actually, I’d prefer that you were exclusive in this relationship. Keith and Lance both are too.” 

Allura’s confused expression had at one point turned into an almost aloof blankness and Shiro had no idea what she was thinking. 

“Uh huh,” she said, taking another sip of wine. 

“So, what are you thinking?” Shiro asked, deciding the take the more direct approach. 

In one swift motion, Allura upended her dark glass of wine onto Shiro’s white shirt. He jumped back, almost falling backwards off his stool. 

“I think you’re a creep,” Allura said, setting down her wine glass and grabbing her bag off the bar. Her face was red with embarrassment. Shiro barely had time to process what she was saying, instead staring in shock down at his red-covered shirt, trying to stop it from dripping onto the floor below them. “Do you really think I’m the type of girl to partake in an affair? And you already have a sidepiece! Are you insatiable?” 

She stormed off, leaving Shiro in shock. 

 

/ / 

 

Keith knocked frantically at Lance’s door. Lance had holed himself up in his room thirty minutes ago and Keith didn’t know what to do. Lance had long since stopped shouting for Keith to go away. Keith was getting weird looks from Lance’s neighbors, but he kept pounding on the door and calling to Lance anyway. 

“Lance!” Keith called, his fist pounding roughly on the door. When there was again no answer, he let out a loud, aggravated groan. He leaned heavily against the door and took out his phone. He dialed Shiro’s number and waited. He got Shiro’s upbeat and professional answering machine message. 

“Shiro, you’ve got to come home. I’m so sorry. I fucked up. Lance is crying. He locked himself in his room and I don’t. Fuck. I don’t know what to do. I’m so sorry,” Keith said into the phone. He then slipped his phone back into his pocket, hoping Shiro would call back soon. He turned to bang on the door again. This time, it opened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keith man, what're you even doing?
> 
>  
> 
> As always, let me know if there are any typos/errors!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angst and Fluff. Fluff and Angst.

Keith jumped back, waiting for Lance to emerge, his heart hammering in his chest. But Lance didn’t appear. Instead, Hunk stood before Keith, looking sympathetic and somehow also agitated, in his pajamas. 

“Hey, Keith,” Hunk said, an uptick in his voice. He was trying to sound neutral to avoid the confrontation, but he just sounded nervous. “I don’t know what happened, but I don’t think Lance wants to talk to you about it right now?”

“I just need to talk to him!” Keith said, anger disguising the worry in his voice. “I said something I didn’t mean and I need him to know that I’m sorry, that I love him!” 

Keith could tell that Hunk was surprised to hear that. It was rare that Keith made strong acknowledgement of his feelings like that. But the admission wasn’t enough to make Hunk back down. He stayed stationed in front of the door. 

“Maybe you can come back later?” Hunk suggested. He then began mumbling. “Like maybe in the morning? I have to work in the morning, then I have a test in physics, so getting eight hours would be really nice. I really should be in bed right now. But then again, what if Lance wants to talk to me about this? Then I’ll be awake anyway, so-”

“Hunk!” Keith said sharply, stopping Hunk’s rambling. “I just need to talk to him.” 

The stairwell door opened abruptly, hitting the wall loudly. Hunk and Keith both turned toward the interruption. 

Keith’s mouth went dry when he saw Shiro step into the hallway. Lance left his mind completely, immediately becoming unimportant at the sight of the large, red stain that covered Shiro’s stomach. ‘Blood,’ Keith thought, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead.

“Shiro,” Keith croaked, staring at the wet stain that was sticking to Shiro’s body, soaking through his white shirt. He rushed to Shiro, hands out, ready to rip the buttons from Shiro’s shirt, ready to see the wound. Shiro grabbed Keith’s hands before he had the chance to rip the shirt apart. 

“It’s wine,” Shiro said. He knew what Keith was thinking. He could tell where his mind had gone. “What happened?” Shiro asked, trying to brush off their past, trying to move on to the problem at hand. Keith looked up at him, still a little shaken. “Lance, what happened to Lance?” 

Keith shook his head, clearing away the thoughts that had flooded his head, remembering why they were all standing outside of Lance’s room. 

“We got into a fight,” Keith said. “I was freaking out. I . . . I said I didn’t want to be with him. Well, I didn’t say that, but it came out like that. I don’t know why. I didn’t mean that. I was just mad. Now he thinks he’s only a part of this relationship because of you.” 

Shiro looked angry, listening to Keith with downturned eyebrows and serious eyes. 

“I’m so sorry,” Keith said, shame building in his stomach. 

“Why are you apologizing to me?” Shiro asked, his cold tone made Keith feel disgusted in himself. 

Shiro approached Lance’s door and Hunk stepped awkwardly aside. Lance hadn’t told him not to let Shiro in, just Keith. He hoped that letting Shiro in was okay. Shiro rapped his knuckles against Lance’s door. 

“Lance, it’s Shiro.” 

From inside the room, Lance’s voice came, “It’s open.”

 

/ / 

 

“Hey,” Shiro said, sitting on the edge of the bed that Lance was curled up in. He dented the mattress where he san, and Lance turned his head to face Shiro. There were little tear marks trailing delicately along his face. Had he not been so worried, Shiro might have smiled, finding Lance’s cry-baby ways endearing. But he didn’t smile. Instead, he took Lance’s cheek into his palm gently. 

“What happened?” Shiro asked. 

“We’re breaking up,” Lance said. His voice cracked down the middle with tears. 

“Says who?” Shiro asked.

“Says me!” Lance said, and Shiro’s eyes opened wide. He hadn’t expected that and he wasn’t sure how serious Lance was. It felt serious. His heart stuttered in his chest. 

“You. You want to break up?” Shiro asked, his brain moving slow, trying to process what Lance had said. But Lance nodded, new tears falling down his face and onto Shiro’s hand. 

“Why?” Shiro asked, his voice just a whisper. 

“Because!” Lance said, voice rising in volume. He shot up in bed so that he could look at Shiro, face to face. “I don’t want to be in Keith’s way! I love him too much to do that. He loves you so much and I don’t want to take you from him!” 

“Lance, you’re not taking anyone from anyone else,” Shiro said calmly. “What made you think that?” 

“Keith made me think that when he told me that! And when he said that you were going to marry Allura and he didn’t’ want to be with me if it was just us two!” Lance said. He was on the verge of yelling and had taken to talking with his hands, waving his arms around. He took a moment to breath in deeply and rubbed his face with both hands. “We didn’t check in enough,” Lance said, lowering his hands. His voice was lowered now, no longer so frantic. “We didn’t check in and Keith changed his mind.” 

A silence hung between them. Lance sat with tears on his face, staring at the crease between Shiro’s brows. Shiro stared back, wondering if he could fix this, wondering if Keith really didn’t want this relationship. He reached up to wipe tears away from Lance’s face with his thumb. 

“Keith changed his mind,” Lance whispered to Shiro. 

 

/ / 

 

“Come on,” Shiro said as he left Lance’s room. 

Keith and Hunk were waiting outside. Hunk stood with his arms crossed, head tipped back and eyes closed. Keith sat with his arms around his legs, his face pressed against his knees. Both of their heads snapped up when Shiro spoke. 

“We need to talk,” Shiro said, heading to the stairwell without looking at Keith. 

“But, Lance!” Keith said, scrambling to his feet. “What about Lance? What did he say?” Shiro didn’t answer, so Keith followed him into the empty stairwell. 

Shiro leaned up against the cool stairwell wall. He looked frustrated, or maybe just tired. It was hard for Keith to tell when Shiro was rubbing the bridge of his nose the way that he was. 

“Is Lance okay?” Keith asked, lowering his voice so his echo wouldn’t bounce to each floor of the dorms. 

“He wants to break up with us,” Shiro sighed, finally looking down at Keith. 

“That idiot!” Keith said. “I didn’t mean it like that. You know I didn’t mean it like that.” 

“Do I?” Shiro asked, and Keith’s eyes went wide. His tone was tired and quiet but it still cut through Keith. “Because the way you acted tonight, everything you said to Lance, it doesn’t really seem like you’re happy. Did you really tell him that I was going to leave you two for Allura?” 

Keith’s face lit up with a near painful blush. He was always so cool, so collected. He never let his emotions get the best of him. But now, the first time that he really lost control, it was exploding back at him. His face was hot and splotchy. He couldn’t stand to look Shiro in the eye any longer. 

“Why did you tell him that?” Shiro pushed, anger bubbling to the surface. “Were you jealous? Were you trying to scare him? I don’t get it. Where did all of this come from all of a sudden?” 

“I don’t know,” Keith said, his gaze still lowered, his fists clenched tight. 

“Yes. You do know. Tell me why,” Shiro said, his voice was cold like frost crawling down Keith’s spine. 

“Because it’s true!” Keith yelled. His voice echoed, but he kept going. “Allura is perfect for you and she’s so obviously not the kind of girl who wants to be in a constant orgy! And there’s something SO boring about her and you LIKE that. You like that because it’s what you’re supposed to want.” Shiro looked shocked, not expecting this outbreak, not from Keith. “You are the perfect soldier, and she’s a fucking dream girl! You’re supposed to want her! I told Lance that because I want you to have whatever you want, but it’s going to be her. It’s going to be her and I can’t-” Keith stopped himself abruptly. He shook his head, trying to shake away all of the surfacing emotions. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. “I can’t lose you again. I just can’t do it,” Keith finished, his voice much more level. His eyes stayed lowered. 

“Keith,” Shiro said, tipping Keith’s chin up so they could meet eyes. “Why would I try to invite someone into our relationship if I didn’t want to be in this relationship?” 

“I don’t know. Why did you chose to bring some girl into this who we don’t know, some girl you just met?” Keith asked accusingly. 

Shiro dropped Keith’s chin. 

“I was attracted to her. I thought you’d both like her. She’s smart and funny. Is that so strange?” 

“Yes!” Keith said. “I’m attracted to people Every. Single. Day. That doesn’t mean I invite them into my relationship. And we all know Lance would fuck anything that moves and is of age, so why this girl? You must think she’s a god damn princess if you want her! And Princesses aren’t polyamorous! It’s just not in Disney’s patented formula!” 

“I didn’t take her up on her offer because I wanted to have sex with her,” Shiro said calmly. “I took her up on it because I found her interesting and wanted to get to know her. I pursued her romantically because that’s how the situation presented itself and there weren’t any obstacles, at least I didn’t think there were.” 

“Well, there are!” Keith blurted out. “I want you to be happy just not without me!” 

“Well, then tell me that!” Shiro yelled back. “Don’t wait for me to go out with someone and then take it out on Lance. We have to be open about these things or else this,” Shiro motioned between himself, Keith, and the door that Lance’s room was behind. “Won’t work.” 

“It’s been a week!” Keith stressed. “I’m sorry that I didn’t know exactly how I felt about it until now. I haven’t really had time to process it!” 

Keith was waiting for Shiro to come back at him, to yell back, but Shiro was silent. He let out a long sigh that Keith couldn’t read. 

“You’re right,” Shiro finally said and for the first time since they began arguing, Keith felt validated. “It has been fast. I should have put the breaks on. I’m sorry.” 

They sat in a pregnant pause. Keith wasn’t sure what else there was to say and Shiro wasn’t sure how to ask what he knew had to be asked. In all honesty, he was afraid of Keith’s answer. 

“What about Lance?” Shiro said, breaking the silence. Keith rolled his eyes. 

“I’ll tell him it’s my fault that we’re not bringing Allura in,” he said begrudgingly. 

“No,” Shiro said. “I meant, how are you feeling about Lance. What you said, about not wanting to be with him without me, that’s serious. I don’t want you to feel like you have to be with him, or that we have to be with him. I don’t want you to be in something that you don’t want to be in. So tell me now, do you want to be with Lance?” 

“Yes,” Keith answered automatically. “I love that idiot. I just didn’t want him there. Not when I was freaking out like that. I wanted you, and he was so calm, and it wasn’t helping. I didn’t mean it the way it came out. I’m in love with him.”

Shiro nodded, pulling Keith into his chest, hugging him tight and resting his head on top of Keith’s head. 

“And, you want to be with Lance still, too, right?” Keith asked. 

Shiro laughed in response, pulling away to look Keith in the eye. 

“Of course I do. I would have been devastated if you said you didn’t want us to see him anymore,” Shiro answered. “But you should go talk to him. Hunk left the door open for me, but I don’t think he’ll mind if you use it. As long as you’re nice to Lance.” 

 

/ / 

 

Keith knelt beside Lance’s bed. It was dark in the room and the only sound was coming from Hunk’s light snoring. Keith noticed the headphones in Lance’s ears and, careful not to startle him, rested a hand on Lance’s warm back. 

As careful as Keith had been, Lance still tensed in shock at the cool hand on his back. He turned with a jerk to see Keith, his face resting on the mattress. 

Lance’s eyes were rimmed with red and Keith fiercely hated that it was his fault. Lance pointed to his headphones and rolled back over, a snarky suggestion for Keith to leave. Keith sighed and stood. He wasn’t going to leave. Leaving would surely mean losing Lance, and he wouldn’t take that without a fight. 

He stepped up onto the bed, a foot on each side of Lance and began jumping. He was careful not to land on Lance, but jumped and moved just enough to jostle Lance and cause the bed to creak and moan below them. 

Lance immediately grabbed at Keith to stop his rowdy behavior. 

With Lance’s hands dug harshly into his calves, Keith stopped jumping but continued to shift his weight from one foot to the other. Below him, Lance rocked lightly, a furious glare on his face. 

‘You’ll wake up Hunk,’ Lance mouthed, gripping down tighter onto Keith’s legs, but Keith kept moving causing the bed to squeak below him. 

Lance tugged harder at Keith’s legs, making his knees buckle. Keith fell gracefully, his knees landing on either side of Lance. For a moment they just stayed like that, Keith sitting in Lance’s lap, silence surrounding Keith and sad songs playing in Lance’s ears. 

‘I’m sorry,’ Keith mouthed and Lance averted his eyes, turning his head toward the wall. Keith slid off Lance’s lap, laying against the wall so that he was in Lance’s line of view. 

‘I’m sorry,’ he mouthed again. 

‘Go. Away.” Lance mouthed back. 

Keith shook his head no. 

‘Why not?’ Lance asked and Keith could see the anger and hurt in his tired eyes. 

‘Because I love you,” Keith mouthed. 

At that, Lance yanked his headphones from his ears. His eyes were wide and his cheeks were pink. 

“What did you just say?” Lance asked, so surprised that he almost forgot to whisper. 

“I love you,” Keith repeated. 

“You love me?” Lance asked in disbelief. Keith quirked an eyebrow, confused. 

“Of course I love you,” Keith said. “I’ve told you before that I love you.” 

“Never seriously!” Lance said, his voice rising just above a whisper. “And never just me. Whenever you say ‘I love you,’ it’s always followed up with a ‘both.’”

“Well, I love you. Seriously,” Keith said. “And I still want you to be my boyfriend, even though I’m a giant ass who made you cry.” 

“That’s not a very compelling argument,” Lance said, his signature smirk returning to his face. 

“Just say you love me and forgive me, and then I’ll go down on you. How’s that argument?” Keith asked, his eyebrows turning down in frustration. 

Lance’s eyes shot open and he smiled widely at Keith before kissing him. 

“I love you and forgive you,” Lance said eagerly. 

“Okay,” Hunk’s loud voice said from across the room, startling the kissing boys. “I was fine with the arguing and the pillow fight and the kissing,” he said, sitting up in bed. “But I draw the line at you two hooking up while I’m here. Keith, you and Shiro both have single rooms. PLEASE move this to one of those.” 

“Sorry, Hunk,” both Keith and Lance said before sliding out of bed and leaving the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a sap? 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> As always, alert me if I fricked it up anywhere lol


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge and Hunk throw a party, Allura and Shiro talk about their 'relationship,' and Lance and Keith are Lance and Keith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always let me know if I have any typos/errors! Thanks for reading!

Shiro woke to his phone vibrating loudly on his nightstand. Beside him, Keith stirred, tucking himself closer to Lance who slept heavily, a line of drool running onto one of Shiro’s pillows. 

Shiro reached for his phone and wiped away the sleep-rendered blurriness from his eyes. On the screen was a line of text messages from their group chat. There were a few from Pidge and Hunk but the one that cleared all hope of falling back to sleep, was from Allura. 

He swiped open the chat to see that Pidge and Hunk had gone ahead and planned a party for the robotics club. They’d already volunteered Keith’s room for the last minute event and were on to trying to find a source of booze for the night. 

Allura’s text thanked them for the invitation. It also happily accepted that invitation. 

Shiro signed, knowing he’d have to talk to Allura before the party. He wanted to tell her about the misunderstanding, apologize for not explaining his relationship coherently. But mostly, he wanted to tell her that anything more than friendship between them was now over. Not that the lapful of wine hadn’t solidified an end to their romantic relationship, but Shiro wanted to be clear and his track record for ‘clear’ and ‘understood’ weren’t so great as of late. 

He was about to leave the bed when Keith turned and cuddled up to him. 

“Stay,” Keith whispered against his neck. “It’s Saturday. No class, no work, no gym. Just stay with us.” Keith rested his hand over Shiro’s stomach, waiting for an answer. 

“Pidge and Hunk are throwing a party in your room tonight,” Shiro said. He ran a hand through Keith’s soft, black hair idly. 

“Don’t they ever ask?” Keith asked grumpily. 

“They put it in the group chat,” Shiro answered. “I think that’s asking to them.” 

“Okay, whatever,” Keith said, closing his eyes again. He was still grumpy about it, but he didn’t want to argue. It was Saturday and he had a strong policy about being annoyed on Saturday. “Nothing new, I guess.” 

“Actually,” Shiro said. “There is something new.” 

Keith cracked an eye open again, peaking up at Shiro. “Yeah?” He asked. 

“They invited Allura,” Shiro said. He had no idea how Keith would react to that information. Keith wasn’t one to hold a petty grudge, but he wasn’t sure if this would be different, if this situation would warrant a dislike for Allura.

“That’s good. It’ll be nice for her to bond with the group,” Keith said, closing his eyes again. 

“You’re okay with that?” Shiro asked. 

“As long as we’re not going as her date, I don’t really care if she comes or not,” Keith said. 

“Why’s everyone talking so much?” Lance grumbled, tossing an arm over Keith so that he too could rest a hand on Shiro’s bare stomach. 

“Party tonight,” Keith answered. 

“Shiro, get me two Four Locos. The gold ones,” Lance said, his eyes still closed and his voice still sleepy. 

“That’s not what we’re talking about,” Shiro laughed. 

“Oh,” Lance said. “But still.”

Again, Shiro laughed. 

“So, we are all fine with Allura being there?” Shiro asked again, triple checking for good measure. 

“Are YOU sure it’s okay?” Lance asked, his head popping up from the pillows to look at Shiro. “Judging from your shirt last night, I’m going to say the date didn’t go well.” 

They all peered over to the desk chair where Shiro’s stained shirt hung. 

“It was a misunderstanding,” Shiro said. “I was going to go see her before the party and explain.” 

“Why?” Lance asked. “It’s not like we’re gonna date the girl now. She was the one who ruined your shirt! Let her come crawling back!” 

“Lance,” Shiro scolded. 

“I actually don’t disagree,” Keith said and Lance let out a triumphant ‘whoop whoop.’ “I just think it can wait. Tell her at the party. She’ll survive the day.” 

“That’s not rude?” Shiro asked. He felt like it was rude, but then again, he wasn’t sure of the social implications of their whole situation.  
“Shiro, she dumped her wine on you,” Lance said. “I don’t think she really wants to hear from you anyway.” 

 

/ / 

Pidge had strung up a series of white Christmas lights along Keith’s dorm walls. Hunk was pulling out legs on a long table that fit perfectly along the long wall opposite of Keith’s bed. He began setting up cups in precise triangles as Pidge began unloading more ‘party lighting’ from their backpack. 

“So, what do you think about the black lights? Along this wall? The wall above the bed?” Pidge asked, holding a long, black light up to see where it looked best. 

“NOT over the bed,” Hunk said, no need to think about the options. “I do NOT want to know what is on those sheets.” 

“Fair enough,” Pidge said, scooting over beside Hunk and handing him the light. Without saying anything, they switched jobs, Hunk going to hang the backlights higher than Pidge could reach and Pidge beginning to fill the red cups halfway with water. 

“I hope they’re not still fighting,” Hunk said as he ran the light’s chord down the wall, taping it in intervals. 

“Who?” Pidge asked, head popping up from the cups that they were pouring water into. 

“The three of them. Lance, Keith, and Shiro,” Hunk said. “They got into it pretty bad last night.” 

“They did?” Pidge asked. “Since when do they fight?” 

“I don’t know, but Shiro and Keith were yelling really loud in the stairwell. Something about Allura. Keith seemed really upset.” 

“Upset? Or mad?” 

“What’s the difference?” Hunk asked. 

He was done hanging the lights now and had started to take practice shots into the pong cups that were now all half full. Pidge began taking turns too as they spoke. 

“Upset, is more sad. Mad is. Well, mad is mad,” Pidge explained. 

“Yeah, upset. Definitely. But also mad? It is Keith.”

“I knew that girl was going to cause trouble for them,” Pidge said.

“Why?” Hunk asked, surprised by Pidge’s foresight.  
“Because Keith wouldn’t ever like her the way he like Lance and Shiro. He’s what the other two revolve around and adding Allura, it threw that right out of orbit,” Pidge said before sinking a shot into one of Hunk’s cups. “He doesn’t know it, but he holds them together.”

 

/ / 

 

Allura was pulling her hair into a loose up-do, clipping her bags so that they swooped back and met her messy bun. She was sitting on the floor in front of a cheap floor length mirror. She sighed wistfully, taking in the sight of her bobby pins and makeup brushes littering the floor in front of her. Behind her was her twin bed, made up with a mismatched sheet set. 

She turned to see the few old photographs that she’d hung to the wall with string and clothespins. On a bookshelf in the corner, a crystal tiara sat in its’ glass case. The photos and the crown were the only things she had time to grab before her and Coran had left.

It had been almost two years since the Altean government had disbanded and Allura and Coran had to escape to the United States, but she still missed it. She missed her white vanity set, her plush bed set, her friends, and most of all, her father. 

Coran knocked on the door, a light tap of the knuckles before popping his head into Allura’s room. 

“Allura,” he chimed happily. 

Allura turned to him, a sad smile on her face. She didn’t know what she would do without Coran. What seemed like a lifetime ago, he’d been her royal advisor. But when the king died and Coran escaped with Allura, he became more of an uncle. 

“What time will you be home, then?” He was chipper as always. 

“I’m not really sure, Coran,” Allura said. 

“Oh, a mighty rager then?” Coran said. 

“Well, I’m not sure about that either. I don’t really know what to expect of a college party. I’ve never been to an American one.”

“Oh, I remember my first college party!” Coran chuckled. He stepped into the room to tell his tale, but Allura tuned him out. She swiped on eye shadow in the mirror and nodded when it looked like Coran was waiting for a response. 

She felt butterflies in her stomach, and not the good kind. When she’d met Shiro and after she’d gone to coffee with him, she thought she’d found someone to help fill the void of loneliness. She thought he was someone intelligent and thoughtful. She thought he was someone to trust. But instead she’d just found an American boy. 

Shiro had turned out to be exactly what her friends back home had always told her Americans were like, slick, deceitful, and horny. Shiro had flat out asked her to help him cheat on his boyfriend, or maybe both of his boyfriends. At least, she had to admit, he was bold. 

“Well, that walk down memory lane sure was swell!” Coran said when he was done rambling. Allura’s eyes popped back up to him and she smiled and nodded like she’d been listening the whole time. He dusted off his ironed jeans and smiled down at Allura. “You have fun tonight, Princess!” 

“Thank you, Coran. I’ll try my best.” 

 

/ / 

 

Lance was going to go shot for shot with Keith tonight. He’d already decided. Keith wasn’t going to out drink him tonight, no sir-ee. He downed a bottle of water in preparation and waited for Keith to arrive with Shiro. Hunk and Pidge watched with curiosity, about to ask why he was drinking anything other than alcohol at a party, when a small knock came at the door. 

Allura peeked her head through the door and everyone smiled warmly at their new guest. 

“Hello, everyone,” she said sweetly. She closed the door behind her and smoothed out her dress. She felt a little over dressed. Everyone else was in sweats or jeans. Not knowing what to wear to a college dorm party, she had gone with a semi-formal get up. She would have been fine if she’d worn sandals with her beige dress but she had opted for a pair of heels instead. 

“You look nice!” Hunk said. He was sitting on the edge of Keith’s bed, a girl that Allura had never seen before sitting beside him and holding his hand. 

Pidge was sitting on the floor, a beer in their right hand, Lance sitting on their left. 

Lance’s stomach flipped when he saw her, but for once in his life, it wasn’t because she was a pretty girl. His stomach flipped because, less than 24 hours ago, Allura had been the face of his relationship’s potential demise. He swallowed down the association when Allura advanced through the room, looking for a place to sit. After all, his relationship was perfect once again.

“HEY! Allura!” He said, waving an arm at her. “Come sit with us!” He scooted over so that she had room to sit between him and the beer bong table. 

“Yeah, you don’t want to sit with the happy couple, they’re being sappy,” Pidge said. Pidge adjusted their glasses, pushing them up their button nose. 

“We’re not sappy,” Hunk said. His defensiveness was weak, knowing what he said wasn’t true. “This is Shay, by the way,” Hunk said, nudging the girl beside him. She had her fawn brown hair up in two smooth buns and wore a pair of high-rise jeans and a cropped sweater. She smiled and blushed as she waved at Allura. 

“Nice to meet you,” Shay said in a sweet, feminine voice. 

“Nice to meet you,” Allura responded. She’d made her way to Lance and Pidge and noticed that Pidge was sitting barefoot. 

“Do you mind if I take off my heels?” Allura asked, and both Pidge and Lance shook their heads. She stepped out of them and sat down, legs tucked beneath her, beside Lance. 

“It’s nice to see you both again,” she said. 

“You want a drink?” Pidge asked. “I’m going to get another.” Pidge showed off the bottom of their red cup, it was empty, but Allura could see the remnants of a red drink inside. 

“Oh, sure, what is there?” 

“Jungle juice,” Pidge answered. 

Pidge stood but Allura stopped her. 

“Jungle juice?” She asked, nervously. 

“Yeah, fruit punch, vodka, rum, Hi-C. The works,” Pidge said answered. 

“Oh, alright,” Allura responded, though she still wasn’t sure if it was the best idea. She’d read in almost every article about ‘the American College system’ that you shouldn’t ever drink jungle juice. It was always too strong, or drugged, or dirty, served out of a troth or something of the like. 

But Pidge went to the mini fridge and pulled out a clear pitcher of red juice. It didn’t look nearly as menacing as Allura had been led to believe. Pidge poured two cups of the mixed drink and handed Allura a one before sitting back beside Lance. 

“You aren’t drinking?” Allura asked Lance, and Lance’s eyes squinted into a menacing glare. 

“Not yet,” he said. 

“Everything’s a competition with him,” Pidge groaned. “He’s waiting for his arch-rival, Keith.” 

“I’m going to out drink him,” Lance said with eager, and useless, power. 

Allura took a sip of her drink and cringed. It was a sugar pit with an underlying taste of cheap alcohol. 

“It’s stronger than it tastes,” Pidge said before standing again. “I’m going to go grab some chips from my room.” 

“Live your drink here!” Lance called, but Pidge was already putting the cup on Keith’s desk. 

“Who do you think I am?” Pidge asked. “You?”

Lance deflated at the sly insult. 

“The dorm has a no alcohol policy,” Hunk explained to Allura. “And Lance likes to get drunk and carry around his drinks. He’s already gotten written up twice. Once more time and he has to go to meetings.” 

Pidge disappeared through the door and Hunk continued talking to Shay. It felt private, so Allura designated her attention to Lance. She felt awkward, knowing about Shiro and him. She wasn’t sure if Lance was the one he was two timing, or if it was Keith. But either way, it felt awkward. Did Lance know that she and Shiro had gone out the night before? Would he be mad if he did?

“So, you have parties often?” Allura asked, trying to push the negativity from her mind. 

“Sure, sure,” Lance answered, bobbing his head. “We like to have fun together. Shiro’s kind of a wet blanket though, doesn’t ever let himself get too smashed.” 

“Oh,” Allura said, going quiet at the mention of Shiro’s name. “Lance, this may sound strange, but I have something to tell you.” 

Allura angled her body more toward Lance. Lance smiled at her, that smirk again, Allura noticed that it must be a more-permanent fixture on his face, as if his neutral smile was that sleazy look. 

“Is it that I’m devastatingly handsome? Because don’t worry, babe, I already know.”

“No,” Allura said without fully listening to Lance’s slimy comment. “It’s about Shiro.” 

This caught Lance’s attention, and although he figured he knew what she actually wanted to talk about, he didn’t stop her. 

“Okay?” Lance said, urging her to go on. 

“I just wanted to let you know, how do I put this gently?” Allura said, looking as deeply into Lance’s eyes as she could manage. She found it hard, wondering if there was actually any depth to him and not just surface level smirking. “Well, he’s sleeping with other people, outside of your relationship.” 

“What?” Lance asked, even though he knew that Allura wasn’t right, it still felt weird to hear. 

“I’m so sorry,” she said, resting a hand over his. 

“Who’s he sleeping with besides me?” Lance said, feigning a hurt expression.

“Keith,” Allura said, her expression wary. 

“Keith,” Lance said, his voice fiercely angry, although falsely so. 

“I’m so sorry, Lance. I didn’t want to hurt you,” Allura said. “I didn’t want anyone to get hurt, but I found out and, I knew I had to say something.”

Lance hung his head and grasped Allura’s hand firmly. For a second, Allura thought that Lance might start to cry, but when he lifted his head, there was that smirk again.

“So, do you wanna go hookup? You know, a little rebound action? Make Shiro jealous?” Lance said, scooting closer to Allura. 

“No!” Allura tore her hand from Lance’s and scooted away, almost hitting the pong table beside her.

“It was worth a try,” Lance said with a laugh.

“Aren’t you upset?” 

“Not really,” Lance shrugged. 

“But, why not?” 

The dorm room door opened and everyone turned to look who arrived. Shiro stepped in, his hand tangled with Keith’s. 

“Hey everyone,” Shiro said with a smile. 

“Welcome to my room,” Keith mumbled beside him and rolled his eyes. 

“Better avoid the happy couple, huh?” Lance said, elbowing Allura playfully and standing. 

“You already knew,” Allura said, mostly to herself. She mentally kicked herself for not putting the pieces together. Lance wasn’t the boyfriend, Keith was. She’d told Lance at the club meeting that she and Shiro were together. And that comment Lance made to her now made sense, ‘We’re all here with Shiro.’ 

“Princess, why don’t you get another a drink,” Lance suggested. 

In shock, Allura looked down at her cup. It was near empty. She’d been sipping it as they spoke, but she hadn’t noticed the speed in which she’d drank it. But more than that, her ears stuck on what he’d called her ‘Princess.’ She looked up at him with blank shock on her face. Could he know? Of all people, Lance had done his research?

“Woah,” Lance said, his smile melting. “Chill, babe. You don’t have to drink more. I’m not peer pressuring you or anything.” 

“Oh,” Allura said. ‘Princess,’ another of Lance’s stupid pet names. “No, it’s not that.” Lance waited, letting her say whatever she wanted, but she knew she wouldn’t explain. “Never mind.” 

Lance shrugged before swooping into the mini fridge, returning with a half empty, glass bottle.

“KEITH!” He called. 

 

/ / 

 

“So,” Keith said, slumping down onto the bed beside Lance. Lance’s cheeks had a rosy, drunken glow to them. He held an oversize can in one hand, a bottle of water in another. Lance wasn’t too drunk to hold a conversation, just smiley and warm. 

“So, yourself,” Lance said, his smirk crossing over his face. 

“I hear you’re sleeping with my man,” Keith said. He peeked over to where Allura was standing. Her eyes were wide, but she didn’t turn away. 

“Your man?” Lance asked. “If you saw what I do for him, you’d know he hasn’t been your man for a long time.” 

“You wanna do something about it?” Keith asked. 

“Is she watching?” Lance asked and Keith nodded. “You’re so petty,” Lance said before leaning in, his serious demeanor turning into a smile that met Keith’s. The kiss was wetter than either of them had anticipated, both of them a little more drunk than the other could detect. But it didn’t deter them. They could practically hear the rest of the group groan with their public make-out. 

 

/ / 

 

“What’s happening?” Allura said, breaking up the groans and the sighs when Keith and Lance’s kissing became audible. She was embarrassed, looking quickly away from the boys in front of her who were unabashedly and drunkenly showing affection. 

Shiro sat down on the floor next to her. He handed her a new cup of the red juice, ready to explain. 

“Sorry, they’re kind of playing a trick on you,” Shiro said. 

“I don’t get it. If you were dating them, shouldn’t they be mad? Upset? Jealous?” Allura said. She focused on Shiro, knowing it was impolite to watch the private moment, though Shiro’s eyes sometimes slipped back to the kissing boys. 

“I wasn’t really clear last night. I realized, when I took that impromptu wine-shower, that we weren’t really on the same page.”

“Not clear?” Allura asked.

“I’m dating Keith. And I’m dating Lance. But Lance and Keith are also dating each other. We’re all together. It’s all mutual and it’s all exclusive,” Shiro said. This time, he was sure he had the definition down, but he waited for questions anyway.

“Then, what were you doing out with me?” Allura asked. 

“We were thinking of expanding our relationship,” Shiro said. 

“Oh,” Allura said. She looked down into her cup, taking a second to process what Shiro was saying. She took a big gulp of her drink before continuing. “I don’t know how to say this,” Allura said. She could feel the blush rising higher in her cheeks and it wasn’t from the two kissing boys or the jungle juice that was swimming through her. She’d never heard of a relationship like this one, let alone been asked to join one. It made her nervous and uncomfortable, but she still didn’t want to be rude to Shiro, who had, maybe, redeemed himself. “But, I don’t think I’m interested in, that kind of relationship.” 

Shiro laughed, his eyes crinkling in the corners and his nose scrunching up. He looked at her like he had known her answer from the start of their conversation. 

“That’s fine. The offer kind of expired anyway. We decided we were really more of the three-person-relationship type of guys,” Shiro smiled warmly at her. 

“I’m sorry about pouring wine on you,” Allura said, her eyes lighting up with realization.

“Don’t worry about it. I was at fault too. Just have fun tonight. We’re all here to bond as a team.” Shiro nodded to Pidge who was about to toss a ping-pong ball over at Lance and Keith. “Pidge and Keith have a bot fight coming up and we’re kind of celebrating that they got into the finals.”

“A bot fight?” Allura asked. They watched as the ping-pong ball hit Keith in the head. Neither of the boys paid any attention. Pidge took a big swig of their drink. Next, Shay lined up to take a shot. 

“A bot fight?” Allura asked. 

“Yeah, they’re really into it. Lance and Hunk too, but Hunk was too busy with his classes and they decided their team was going to take a hiatus,” Shiro explained. 

For a moment they were silent, watching as ping-pong balls bounced off of Keith and Lance. 

“What’s this game that we’re playing?” Allura asked, motioning toward Hunk, who was taking his turn to throw a ball.

“Whoever breaks them up, wins. Whoever fails, drinks,” Shiro explained. 

“I want in,” Allura stated and stood from the floor. She wavered on her feet but quickly regained her balance, moving toward the others. They offered her a ball, but her hard hit on Lance’s shoulder didn’t faze either boy. 

“I can end this,” Shiro said, cupping a hand up to his mouth. “Keith! Lance! Break it up!” 

Both boys broke apart, looking lazily at Shiro. Lance reached out a hand to him. 

“That’s cheating,” Hunk whined. 

“Shiro wins again,” Pidge sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is the last part of this story! But be sure to check out my page because I have more of this AU coming out soon (like how Lance, Keith, and Shiro first got together)! I also just started a cheerleading AU that I'm really excited about so check that out too! 
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> (And if you want to see all of those things + all of my Voltron fanart, check out courtneylej.tumblr.com!)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party is over and there are still a few loose ends to tie up before everyone else is on the same page.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a short wrap up chapter, hope you guys like it!

Allura woke with a jolt. She had a chunk of hair in her mouth and blankets twisted around her legs. She didn’t remember getting a ride home last night. She rubbed her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. 

The ceiling. Not HER ceiling. Her eyes widened. She snatched at the blankets immediately, pulling them up to her chin. She looked to her left, where the rest of the room stretched out. The beer pong table was still set up, though most of the cups were tipped or on the floor. A black light was still on. 

She peeked underneath her blankets, checking to see how she was dressed, more importantly, IF she was dressed. She was still in a bra. Her underwear seemed to be in tact. It didn’t help her to decide what’d happened the night before. 

“Good morning, Princess.” 

Allura’s breath caught in her throat at the sound of Lance’s voice. She looked up toward Keith’s desk and Lance was rolling toward her in the desk chair. He had that smirk on his face. He was shirtless, his blue boxers sitting low on his hips. 

“Oh no,” Allura whispered to herself and she heard a laugh from beside her. 

She knew that no one was in the small bed with her, so she flipped quickly, looking to the floor beside her. 

Keith and Shiro were laying on a pile of blankets and pillows, Shiro’s head in the crook of Keith’s arm. 

Allura covered her mouth and lay back down. Her head was spinning and she never wished she could disappear into thin air more than right now. 

She felt like she’d just been telling Shiro that she wasn’t interested in him or Keith or Lance. Now, she was lying, scantily clad, with the whole group. Dread was settling deep into her stomach, she didn’t even know what had happened. 

“Have a good night’s sleep?” Lance continued, peering over her. 

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Allura said weakly. 

“Don’t worry,” Keith said, moving from beneath Shiro and handing Allura his wastebasket. “We didn’t let Lance touch you.” 

Allura hugged the wastebasket to her chest, her arms wrapped around it like it was her only lifeline. 

“I don’t remember anything,” Allura said. “I don’t know. . .” She looked over to Shiro and Keith who had sat up and were watching her curiously. “What happened?” She asked, a blush spreading over her cheeks and heating her whole face. 

“Nothing,” Shiro said immediately, wanting to clear her conscience. 

“Yeah, you were pretty drunk, so I gave you my bed,” Keith answered. “We all slept on the floor.” 

“My clothes?” She asked, her voice weak with embarrassment. Lance pointed to the closet. 

“Shiro hung up your dress. You took it off before bed,” Lance said.

“We covered Lance’s eyes,” Keith re-assured her. 

“I’m sorry,” Allura said. She put the wastebasket down on the floor, her wave of nausea passing quickly. “I shouldn’t have stayed. It’s inappropriate.” 

“Nonsense,” Shiro began. “Its better that you’re here and safe.” 

“Yeah, what are friends for if not harboring you when you’re blackout drunk?” Lance said. 

“Friends?” Allura asked. 

“We had a weird start,” Keith said. “Doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.” 

Just then the sound of a phone buzzing interrupted the conversation. Shiro turned to his phone. He swiped it open and read a text that Pidge had put in the group chat. 

“Brunch at the caf. in half an hour?” Shiro said, reading the text aloud to everyone. 

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly,” Allura said, holding Keith’s blanket closer to her chest. But Keith was already up and rummaging through his dresser drawer. He pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a University t-shirt that belonged to Lance. 

“It’s just the caf, might as well be comfortable,” Keith said, tossing the clothes to her. 

 

/ / 

 

The cafeteria was large but mostly empty. Most of the students had already been in and out. It was closer to lunch than breakfast now and the buffet style serving trays were a little bare. Hunk and Shay were already at a table, waiting for the rest of the group and lazily drinking coffee. 

When Shiro’s group arrived, the three boys broke away. Lance headed for the sandwich station, his stomach already growling for his post-party egg and cheese sandwich. Shiro headed for Hunk and Shay to check in with how the end of their night was. Keith made a b-line for the coffee station, looking more tired and grumpy now than he had when he first woke up. 

Allura headed for the pancake station, wanting something to soak up any excess alcohol that was swimming in her stomach. She barely recognized Pidge when she stepped up to the sad looking pile of pancakes. 

Pidge was in an overall dress, a cropped shirt beneath it. Their hair was pulled back into a tiny ponytail. Even though Pidge had partied the night before, they stood before the pancakes like they’d never even heard of a hangover. 

“Oh, Pidge! I didn’t recognize you. You’re all dressed up.” 

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Pidge asked, ghosting over Allura’s greeting. They clutched their breakfast tray tightly and turned their eyes away from the pancakes. Pidge’s expression was troubled and it made Allura’s already queasy stomach spin. 

“Of course, anything,” Allura answered. 

“You spent the night in Keith’s room?” Pidge asked. 

“Well,” Allura’s face lit up in a dark blush. “Yes.” 

“I know it’s none of my business,” Pidge said. “But did anything happen between you?” 

“No!” Allura answered immediately. “I just slept in there. They were perfect gentlemen.” 

Pidge let out a sigh of relief. 

“Sorry,” Pidge said, a bright smile lighting up their face again. “I just worry about them. They’re my best friends, you know?” 

“I get it,” Allura said, smiling back. She picked out a few of the less burnt pancakes and placed them on her plate, Pidge was creating a tower of the darker pieces. Allura remembered what it was like to have friends that were worth worrying over. “It’s good they have someone to look out for them.” 

Maybe, this was a new start to those kinds of friendships. 

“Yeah well, they’re idiots,” Pidge laughed. They poured a heavy layer of syrup over their stack of pancakes. They both turned toward the table that everyone else was congregating around. 

Keith was setting a light coffee in front of Shiro, who smiled up at him appreciatively. Lance was waving his sandwich up around Keith’s face obnoxiously, trying to get a rise out of the grumpy boy. Shiro grabbed at Lance’s wrist, tugging the sandwich to his mouth and taking a big bite. They all smiled and laughed and Lance leaned in to give Keith a kiss on the cheek when he sat on the other side of Shiro.

“It’s a good thing they’re in love,” Pidge mumbled over the display.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this check out my University AU series! I am still adding stories to it! 
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> Also, check out my cheerleading AU if you're interested! I'm very excited about it and I've also broken the habit of having someone wake up as the beginning of the chapters. lol 
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> as always, let me know if there are typos!

**Author's Note:**

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> As always, let me know if there are any typos/mistakes! Thanks!


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